Ventilating device



July 31,- 1928. 1,678,654

G. R. SIEFKEN VENTILATING DEVICE Filed June 5, 1926 11w mww ATTORNEY5 Patented Jul 31, 1928.

PATENT OFFICE.

GEORGE n. SIEFKEN, on NEW YORK, 1v. Y.

vnNTxnA'rmG nnvrcn.

Application filed June 3, 1926. SerialNo. 113,436.

The invention relates to ventilating apparatus for use in buildings, railroad cars, and like structures, and has to do more particularly with apparatusby which atmospheric air may be admitted to the structure in regulated amounts and without the production of currents of high velocity, commonly referred to as drafts. The'improved ventilating apparatus of this invention is further arranged so that the air admitted may .be mingled with the air within the structure in such a way that good diffusion is secured and the fresh air is distributed to all parts of the structure, or room.

The improved apparatus is adapted particularly to be built in the wall of the structure prior to its completion and it may be placed at any point in the wall. Preferably, the ventilator is placed beneath the frame of a window, so that it'is not necessary to cut or leave a special opening in the Wall for the ventilator, but simply to make the usual window opening slightly greater than required by the size of the window to be used. Also, it is desirable to place the ventilator above the heater in the room, if such heater is present, since the upwardly rising current of heated air flowing from the heater may conveniently be utilized in the diffusion and mingling of the fresh air. As heating devices such as radiators are commonly ,placed tron, reference will be made to the accomflpany ng draw1ngs,.1n which beneath windows, the building of the ,ventilator in the structure wall beneath the. window frame is not only a matter .ofconvenience and cheapness, but also affords the best results in most installations.

.The ventilating apparatus of this inven- 'tion includes a chamber preferably built in the structure wall and having an opening through which atmospheric ,air mayzenter the chamber, and another .opening through which the air may pass from the chamber into the room. These openings are placed out of alignment so that the ,air passing through the chamber into the room ,flows alonga tortuous path ,and direct currents are prevented. Within ,the chamber, vand at a distance from both openings, is a control device for regulating the amount of air,admit-ted, and this devicev is so arranged that sage through the device. Such changes of direction result in diffusion of-theair, preventing the formation .of currents of h gh velocity, even though there isa high .wind pressure against ;the wall of the .structure.

the air velocity to a material extent and even though the'fresh air is permitted to enter the room only through a small opening, it is discharged through an opening of much larger cross-section and its velocity thus cut down. The aircurrent entering the room flows upwardly from the discharge outlet along a wall, and as the air is"nor'mall v colder than that within the room, convection currents are set up which promote the distribution and mixture of the fresh air with that present. When the room is heated by a heater which is placed beneath the ventilator, further advantageous results are ob- ,tained since the upwardly moving current of heated air blankets the fresh air between it and the wall and the two streams flow side by side until the cold airjhas been heated and diffusion and distribution are obtained.

For abetter understanding of the inven- Fig. .1 show sa view of a portion of the .outer wallofa structure in which the ventiating app r t s is ll Fig. 2" is a vertical section through the wall and the apparatus,

Fig. 3 is asimilar view of a modified form .of construction,

Figs. 4t and 5 are views similar to'Fig. 3, butshowing further modifications, and

Figs. 6 and 7 are top views of the discharge outlet showing diffusion screens of different types.

Referring now to .the drawings, the ventilating apparatus is illustrated for conveniencefas being built in the wall of a build- .ing beneath the window frame. It is not necessary that the apparatus be placed in the air flow changes directioniafter its-pas- -this position, but such an arrangement is convenient because .the apparatus can be built in priorto the completion of the-buildingandbefore the frameis .put in position. With such an installation, therefore, the usu- -al windowopening is-made but it is slightly i larger than that required by the size of the window and the ventilating apparatus is placed beneath the window frame.

The window frame 10 having the window sash 11 of the usual construction, rests on the top of a chamber 12. This chamberhas an opening 13 protected by a screende against the entrance of dirt. The opening permits atmospheric air to enterthe chamberr The chamber extends entirely through the wall and at its inner end is provided with an opening 15 through which thefresh air may enter the room. This opening is preferably placed. so that it discharges a stream of air vertically along the inner wall of the room, as indicated in Figs. 2, 3, and 4, although, if desired, the stream mayenter the room through an opening arranged to discharge it horizontally, as shown at 16in Fig. 5. The opening 15 may be formed in an extension 17 from the chamber, as shown in Figs. 2 and l, or the opening may be formedby cutting away the top wall of the chamber as at 18 and forming the opening in the window frame, as indicated at 19. The construction illustrated in Fig. 3 discharges the current of air vertically into the room, but this current discharged within the window opening, rather than free of the latter along the innersurface of the wall. The arrangement illustrated in Fig. 8 may, in some instances, be more desirable than that shown in Figs. 2 and 4:, since the extension 17 projecting beyond the inner face of the wall of the building is not used with that arrangement.

In both types of construction illustrated, a diffusion screen 20 may be employed. Screens or grilles as shown in Figs. 6 and 7 are satisfactory for the purpose, and various other types of convenient construction may also be employed. These screens or v grilles serve to intercept the current of air passing through the chamber and to break it up so that a direct current of high velocity is avoided. 1

Within the chamber, and at a distance I from the openings 13 and 15 is a control mechanism here illustrated as of theautomatic type, operating to admit air in quantities dependent upon the outside wind pressure. The chamber is provided with a horizontal partition 21 having openings 22.

Each of the openings is controlled by a valve 23 movable on a vertical rod 24, the lower end of which is supported in a horizontal bar 25. There are a number of these openings formed in the partition'arranged in rows extending lengthwise of the chamber, and the valves are free to move up and down on the rods 24:. Each valve, of conical form' is suitably weighted,

with its apex at the top, and the weights 23 of the different valves are graduated in value so that as the wind pressure increases the valves will be held closed, so that the amount of air entering the room is thus regulated. I

The control'me'chanism is placed within the chamber at a distance from the opening through which the air enters and control outlets through which the air leaves the main body of the'chamber and enters a smaller portion thereof designated 20'" which may be termed the diffusion chamber. The air flowing through the outlets controlled by the automatic devices flows upwardly into the diffusion chamber, striking the upper wall thereof and being deflected and flattened out in a wide thin stream which then flows horizontally through the chamber 20, and either directly into the room, as in the form shown in Fig 5, or else upwardly through the vertical passages to enter the room through the diffusion screens 20. The automatic mechanism is preferably arranged so that there are a plurality of dampers controlled by weights which act at different air pressures, the dampers being successively closed as the air pressure increases. When there is a relatively high wind'blowing, all but one of the dampers for example may be closed. The air entering the room then flows through this damper in the form of a relatively fine stream which, if allowed to enter the room directly, would result in a draft which would'not only-be unpleasant, but would also interfere with the proper diffusion of the fresh air through the room. With the arrangement illustrated, this small stream of air cannot directly enter the room but enters the diffusion chamber 20, where it is flattened out, its velocity reduced greatly, owing tothe changes in direction which the air must make before it finally enters the room, and instead of a fine stream of air of substantially circular cross-section, there is a wide thin stream-which gives the best ventilating effect.

The chambers in the difierent forms of I apparatus are accessible, from the insideof or'doors 26 so arranged that the interior of the chamber may be cleaned whenever necessary. The automatic mechanism may be installed so as to control air flow under all ordinary conditions and by a proper selection of the weights, the mechanism will regulate the areasthrough which air may enter the room in accordance with the wind ve-" locity outside the building. 1

When the ventilating apparatus is used to admit air into a room which' is heated by the usualheating devices, it is desirable toplace the ventilator so that it discharges fresh air into the room along a wall at a point above heated air from the radiator flows up along a heating device. Heating radiators are ordinarily placed beneath windows and with the constructions shown in Figs. 2 to 5 inthe wall and this heated current, also in the form of a wide sheet, blankets the cold air current and the two streams flow side by side upwardly until the cold air is warmed and diffused and mingling of the fresh air and the air within the room is accomplished. This arrangement also results in the production of convection currents which cause a rapid distribution of the fresh air throughout the room. By building the ventilating device in the wall of the building, in the manner illustrated, there are no parts which project beyond the wall to an undesirable extent, and as the interior of the chamber is readily accessible, the ventilator is easily cleaned and the control mechanism kept in working condition.

I claim:

1. A ventilatorfor admitting air into a room comprising a chamber having an opening for admitting air from outside the room, a diffusion chamber having substantially horizontal and vertical connecting passageways, the vertical passageway opening into the room, the lower wall of the horizontal passageway having an opening throughwhich air from the first named chamber may be admitted to said diffusion chamber, automatic means for controlling theflow of air through said opening, said opening being located at a point beneath the upper wall of the horizontal passageway whereby the air passing through said opening is caused to impinge upon said upper wall and become diffused and have its direction of travel changed before passing through the vertical passageway into the room.

2, In a ventilator for admitting air into a room comprising a chamber having an opening for admitting air from outside the room,

a difi'usion chamber having a substantially horizontal passageway and a substantially vertical passageway, said vertical passageway having one end thereof communicating with the horizontal passageway at.

one end of same, and having its other end communicating with the atmosphere within the room, the lower wall of the horizontal passageway having at least one opening through which air from the first-named chamber may be admitted into the difiusion chamber, automatic means for controlling the flow of air through said opening, said opening being located beneath the upper wall of the said horizontal 'pas sageway, whereby the air passing there through is caused to impinge against said upper wall and become diffused before traversing said horizontal passageway and entering the vertical passageway from which it passes into the room.

In testimony whereof I aifix my signature.

GEORGE R. SIEFKEN. 

